+ family, fantasy, fiction, friendship, grief, love, mystery, review, romance, secrets, superstition, time travel
A Shape On The Air by Julia Ibbotson
A haunting Anglo-Saxon time-slip of mystery and romance
Can echoes of the past threaten the present?
They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is forced to marry the man she hates as the ‘Dark Ages’ unfold.
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How can Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, unlock the secrets of the past?
Traumatised by betrayal, she slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne,who is also battling treachery.
Viv must uncover the mystery of the key that she unwittingly brings back with her to the present day, as echoes of the past resonate through time. But little does Viv realise just how much both their lives across the centuries will become so intertwined.
And in the end, how can they help each other across the ages without changing the course of history?
My Review
The book is basically a time slip story in which modern-day Dr Viv DuLac finds herself in the year 499 AD as the Lady Vivianne. The first time it happens she is deeply shocked and disbelieving. How did she get there? And what is the connection with water and the mere?
Viv’s partner Pete suddenly decided to leave her for one of her best friends. She cannot understand why, when they have always had such a strong relationship, living together in her beloved apartment. He also seems to have undergone a major head transplant, as he has become a totally different person, no longer kind and caring, but bullish and selfish. She is devastated and traumatised by his behaviour.
Viv is understandably distraught until she meets Rory, who reminds her of Sir Roland in her ‘other’ life. But how can that be? And why doesn’t he treat her as if she is going mad?
As the story progresses, she slips back and forth with increasing frequency, but while she can spend hours or even days in the past, time stands still in the here and now.
The author has undertaken a considerable amount of research, because we are not talking about slipping into a made up fantasy world. I know very little about the so-called ‘dark ages’, but I can see that the references to the language, artifacts, lifestyle, and beliefs of the time are both detailed and accurate, or the book would have little authenticity.
I was interested to learn about the term ‘shapes in the air’ and also the information about the Einstein-Bridge Theory. It involves parallel universes and wormholes, but that’s all I’m going to say as it’s hard to understand and I don’t want to dig myself into a hole (wormhole?) of ignorance.
I wouldn’t usually choose this genre (I’m not generally a fan of time travel, fantasy or sci fi), but it’s the richness of the history and storytelling that made this such an interesting and entertaining read.
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Dr Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of resonances across time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are character-driven, well-paced, evocative of time and place, well- researched and uplifting page-turners.
Her current series focuses on early medieval dual-time/time-slip mysteries. Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher.
Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has also indie-published three other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest, Daughter of Mercia, is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual time mystery/romances where echoes of the past resonate
across the centuries.
Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘compelling character-driven novels’, ‘a skilled story-teller’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘incredible writing style’, ‘intricately written’, ‘absorbing and captivating’, and ‘an absolute gem of a trilogy’.
In a realm where dreams and reality intertwine, the final battle brews.
The gods of Order have vanished. Despite priests like Dantess and Myra struggling to maintain peace, the Harbingers of Chaos fan the flames of rebellion, bringing the world to the brink of war.
Galen, drawn into the heart of the Dreaming—an ethereal realm where past, present, and future collide—confronts not only his nemesis, the cunning Carnaubas, but a horrifying truth: the exiled gods of Order still hunger for dominion.
Genre: YA Fantasy 11-18 yrs
Pages: 387
Luckily, Galen is not alone. Eve, a young girl gifted with the uncanny ability to see the threads the connect everything, joins him on a desperate quest to find the elusive god of Chaos, their only hope for preventing Order’s return.
The Realm of Gods is more than just a story; it’s a descent into the battle between Order and Chaos, a testament to the enduring power of human connection, and a battle cry for rebellion against tyranny.
About the Author
Glen Dahlgren is the award-winning author of the acclaimed book series, the Chronicles of Chaos, dubbed “what fantasy fiction should be” by New York Times bestselling author and fantasy legend Piers Anthony.
Books in this now complete series won multiple Readers’ Favorite Gold Medals, American Fiction Awards, Independent Author Network Book of the Year awards, and the Dante Rossetti Award.
Glen has also written, designed, directed, and produced critically-acclaimed, narrative-driven computer games for the last three decades. What’s more, he had the honor of creating original fantasy and science-fiction storylines that took established, world-class literary properties into interactive experiences. He collaborated with celebrated authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (The Death Gate Cycle), Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time – now a TV series from Amazon), Frederik Pohl (Heechee saga), Terry Brooks (Shannara), and Piers Anthony (Xanth) to bring their creations to the small screens. In addition, he crafted licensor-approved fiction for the Star Trek franchise as well as Stan Sakai’s epic graphic novel series, Usagi Yojimb
Author blog: http://www.mysterium.blog/
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Luke and his team investigate goings-on at GNE, a global news and entertainment company, after a whistleblower asks for their help.
They are shocked by what they uncover but executives refuse to act, even when it becomes apparent there have been deaths that are unaccounted for.
Genre: Crime thriller
Publisher: Apple Loft Press
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A serial killer is taking advantage of the culture of secrecy and no one is safe.
My Review
First of all let me say that this is so well written. It’s tight, witty, humorous, perfectly constructed and full of believable characters. If the author were to write a new version of the telephone directory, I’m sure it would still be entertaining.
I wish I’d read the first two books in the series, but if I didn’t know they existed, I wouldn’t have guessed. We know that Luke Sackville was in the police before becoming Head of Ethics at Filchers, but then every main character in a book will have a past of some sort, especially if they are a bit older. We know he was a DCI, and that his wife died in a hit-and-run a year ago.
Luke and his team comprising Helen, Sam, Josh and Maj have been asked to investigate some worrying goings-on at GNE, a global news and entertainment company. With several references to Jimmy Saville and Operation Yewtree, they need to take it seriously. Are some of the celebrities and contestants actually involved in child abuse, procuring children for underage activities, and possibly even murder, after one teenage boy disappears and another is found in a watery grave.
GNE is responsible for a number of successful TV reality shows and the celebrities have a lot of fans. Fans who wouldn’t miss the chance to attend parties where they will get to meet their heroes. So when we first meet teenagers Alfie and Owen, all excited and raring to go, their experience turns out to be very different from what they expected. In fact Alfie is too scared to even talk about what happened and what he saw. But Owen goes again and discovers more than he bargained for.
There are a couple of ‘side stories’ going on as well like the one involving poisonous mushrooms, Sam’s mum’s online romance, and the obvious misogyny in another company. As an ex-copper, Luke leaves no stone unturned. His team loves working for him and often put their heads on the line to support him. Sometimes they walk straight into danger.
This book is brilliant. I literally read it in two sittings. Definitely 5 stars – and I don’t give 5 for crime fiction very often, and while the premise isn’t totally unique, it’s relevant, important and so much better executed than much of what is out there.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #FogOfSilence blog tour
About the Author
“Let’s get one thing straight: my name’s Steve. I’ve never been called ‘SJ’ but Steve Richards is a political writer hence the pen name.
“I was born in Bath and have lived at various times on an irregular clockwise circle around England. After university in Manchester my wife and I settled in Macclesfield before moving to Bedfordshire then a few years ago back to Somerset. We now live in Croscombe, a lovely village just outside Wells, with our 2 sprightly cocker spaniels.
“I’ve always loved writing but have only really had the time to indulge myself since taking early retirement. My daughter is a brilliant author (I’m not biased of course) which is both an inspiration and – because she’s so good – a challenge. After a few experiments, and a couple of completed but unsatisfactory and never published novels, I decided to write a crime fiction series as it’s one of the genres I most enjoy.”
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+ audio book, crime fiction, fiction, murder, police drama, psychic, review, serial killer, supernatural
Time to Die Detective Jennifer Knight #2 by Caroline Mitchell
He will predict your life… and your death.
Don’t ever cross his palm with silver. He will reveal your most shameful secrets. He will predict your death. He is hiding a secret. He is hiding a monster. And all his predictions come true.
Investigating a series of chilling murders, Detective Jennifer Knight finds herself tracking a mysterious tarot card reader known only as The Raven.
As the death toll rises, Jennifer and her team build a picture of a serial killer on the edge of sanity, driven by dark forces. But these are not random killings. And the method behind the madness could be the most terrifying thing of all …
Especially when it seems the death of one of their own is on the cards.
Time to Die is an absolutely gripping serial killer thriller with a breath-taking supernatural twist.
My Review
Hooray for another brilliant audiobook. I’m so glad I discovered Borrowbox, where the books are free (though there may be a long wait for some of them). If you’ve never tried it, you get access through your library.
Time To Die is different from most crime novels because of the supernatural element. Both Detective Jennifer Knight and a serial killer known only as The Raven are clairvoyant or psychic – call it what you will. Jennifer can also see into people’s minds. The killer, on the other hand, uses tarot cards to reveal your guilty secrets and also to predict your future. He might also have a hand in your ‘prophesy’.
He’s a very sinister character, whose childhood was somewhat disturbed. He was a twin but his mother doted on his brother Callum, while he was treated with disdain. He suffers from severe eczema and always seems to be in discomfort, tearing at his own skin, which adds to the sense of foreboding. And then there are the ravens – the actual birds – which he seems to control. It’s all rather weird, unnerving and very Alfred Hitchcock.
Jennifer works with a great team including Will, with whom we sense a budding romance, plus her boss Ethan, Police Sergeant Claire and newcomer Zoe, co-opted from another force. I love the way the narrator voices Zoe.
I’ve read this author before and she certainly doesn’t shy away from dark and creepy. The Bone House was about as creepy as it gets. I highly recommend her books. Next time though, I’ll start with the first in the series rather than jump into book two or three.
About the Author
New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and International #1 Bestselling Author. Shortlisted by the International Thriller Awards for best ebook 2017, the Killer Nashville Best Police Procedural 2018 and the Audie awards 2022. Over 1.5 million books sold.
Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives in a village outside the city of Lincoln. A former police detective, she has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.
Caroline writes psychological and crime thrillers. Her stand alone thriller Silent Victim reached No.1 in the Amazon charts in the UK, USA and Australia and was the winner of the Reader’s Favourite Awards in the psychological thriller category. It has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’.
The first in her Amy Winter series, Truth And Lies, has been optioned for TV.
+ bullying, celebrity, cosy mystery, crime fiction, Dogs, fiction, murder, murder mystery, revenge, review
The Boot Camp Murder by Matthew Ross
An an ambitious high-achieving young woman, unfairly bullied from her job, her career in ruins; her brother, a charming slacker getting by on good looks and charisma; an out-of-control unstoppable terrier called Winkle, and a popular social media star bludgeoned to death – who said pet-sitting would be a walk in the park?
Monica was on the corporate ladder striving to be a high-flying executive, but when the misogynistic bullying from the privileged pale stale males becomes too much she snaps and quits on the spot. At her lowest ebb, a chance remark from her charming slacker brother Paddy identifies a business opportunity – she becomes a pet-sitter!
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She’s enthusiastic, she loves animals, and she’s got the management skills – it’s bound to be a success, isn’t it? Monica quickly finds dealing with her team of misfits as easy as herding kittens.
Monica and Paddy soon very publicly clash with a much beloved personal trainer that has made their local park his own personal kingdom. However, after he is brutally murdered with his own dumbbell, legions of his online devotees are quick to pronounce Monica guilty in the court of social media opinion.
When the demands for retribution threaten to overspill into Monica’s real life, she knows she must find the killer before the lynch mob comes for her.
My Review
Well this was entertaining! And as a dog lover, I couldn’t resist, because there are lots of dogs in the book. It was certainly a great read, with plenty of added doggy (and fluffy cat) fun.
Monica Minton is a high flying executive, who walks out of her well paid job after being bullied one time too many by her horrible, misogynistic boss. I’m surprised it took her that long. I might have even punched him.
Her handsome, charismatic brother Paddy lodges with her and does basically very little. But he does walk dogs for busy people. It’s all a bit haphazard, so when Monica finds herself unemployed, she decides to take the business in hand, create a plan and turn it into a pet sitting empire called We Sit Pets. She already has a few of Paddy’s mates to do the dog walking. And she loves dogs. What could possibly go wrong?
A lot it would appear. When Boot Camp Dan is launching his TV career as a personal trainer on a stage in the park, Monica happens to be passing with one of the dogs, who happens to get loose, and just happens to run across the stage, causing mayhem. BCD is not best pleased – in fact he is furious – and the launch has to be delayed. Except when the curtains open, he is lying face downwards with a dumbell embedded in his skull. Ouch!
Of course it’s the best photo opportunity his cameraman has ever had, but his promoter can see the sponsors pulling out and his business going in the bin with the poo bags.
As for Monica, well BCD’s fans are many and enthusiastic to put it mildly, and they are not going to let her get away with it. It’s her fault that their hero was murdered and she’s going to have to find the killer, and fast, before they come for her.
The Boot Camp Murder is a hilarious romp, with plenty of quirky characters. I can imagine it’s going to be a series, with We Sit Pets becoming amateur sleuths in more comic, canine capers.
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Matthew Ross is the author of 3 published novels to date. His first novel, Death Of A Painter was selected by The Sun newspaper as one of its picks of the week. Matthew wrote his first novel after undertaking the prestigious Faber Academy 6-month novel writing course under the tutelage of Richard Skinner. Prior to that Matthew wrote material for a leading British stand-up comedian for their live performances, corporate bookings, national theatre tours and their appearances on TV and radio shows such as Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week and The News Quiz. In addition, he was commissioned to provide material and sketches for several comedy series that were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Matthew lives in Kent with his family and pets.
Matthew’s Links
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/PoynterElectricalServices
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattw_ross/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattwross
Website: http://www.mattwross.uk
Book Links
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203097096-the-boot-camp-murder
Buy Links – https://mybook.to/bootcampmurder-zbt
Can fake dating turn into something more with a baby on the way?
High-flying exec Lauren Kirkham is having a bad week. Unexpectedly pregnant, out of work and – when dumped by her boyfriend – with nowhere to live. She needs a respite, and so goes to visit her friend Anna in Polkerran for a short stay.
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Canelo
Polkerran’s local handyman Daniel Tremayne is busy building his own ‘grand design’ on one of the cove’s cliffs. When TV crews turn up to film, expecting a happily paired up couple, he urgently needs a fake live-in girlfriend, since he’s also split with his ex.
Can Lauren and Daniel solve their mutual dilemmas by joining forces, and if so, will their hearts emerge unscathed?
A heartwarming and fun Cornish romance, perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin, Jessica Redland and Phillipa Ashley.
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He knows where you are.
He knows where you’re going.
He’s waiting for you.
Seven years ago Valencia’s best friend is brutally murdered and she’s the one who finds the body. A man is convicted and is serving time. But there’s still so much they don’t know about the murder.
Valencia’s never been convinced he’s guilty and now she’s ready to look for the truth. But what she discovers shocks her to her core.
A sick serial killer is sacrificing women. The method of death chosen by the highest bidder. Their murders livestreamed.
As Valencia’s desire for the truth intensifies, the killer’s need to kill is escalating.
He knows Valencia is looking for him . . . and he has her in his sights.
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+ friendship, grief, history, Italy, jews, literature, nazi germany, review, World War Two, WW2
My Father’s House Rome Escape Line Trilogy #1 by Joseph O’Connor
From the best-selling author of Star of the Sea, a WWII-era “great escape” novel set in the Vatican.
September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. Gestapo boss Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. Hunger is widespread. Rumors fester. The war’s outcome is far from certain.
Diplomats, refugees, and escaped Allied prisoners flee for protection into Vatican City, at one fifth of a square mile the world’s smallest state, a neutral, independent country within Rome. A small band of unlikely friends led by a courageous Irish priest is drawn into deadly danger as they seek to help those seeking refuge.
Book 1 in the Rome Escape Line Trilogy, My Father’s House is a powerful, heartbreaking literary thriller based on the true story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who risked his life to smuggle thousands of Jews and escaped Allied prisoners out of Italy under the nose of his Nazi nemesis. A deadly high-stakes battle of wits ensues in this astonishing, unforgettable story of love, faith and sacrifice, exploring what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances.
My Review
I don’t often read stories about the Second World War, especially about Nazi occupation, concentration camps and the fate of the Jews. Being of Jewish extraction – my mother had to escape Vienna in 1938 – it can become too personal. So I only read one every few months, otherwise I feel choked with emotion.
My Father’s House takes place in occupied Rome and follows the same story as the film The Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck as Irish Catholic Priest Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. It’s a true story, set mainly in the Vatican, where a small group of eight friends came together to help Jews and escaped Allied prisoners out of Italy and the risk of being killed or sent to the concentration camps by the Nazis. They called themselves the ‘Choir’ and they did actually sing and play instruments to act as cover for their true reason for meeting.
The year is 1943 and Hugh’s main enemy is Gestapo boss Obersturmbannführer Paul Hauptmann (actually called Henry Kappler, but I am told that the author could not bring himself to call him by his real name in the book). Some of the things he did are almost impossible to believe any man could be capable of. One of these was the Ardeatine massacre, a mass killing of 335 civilians and political prisoners carried out in Rome on 24 March 1944 by German occupation troops as a reprisal for the Via Rasella attack in central Rome against the SS Police Regiment Bozen the previous day. Kappler was one of the main instigators of the massacre.
The bravery of the Choir is unparalleled, and together they saved thousands from certain death and torture. A modest man, Monsignor Hugh always played down his part in the proceedings, but he was undoubtedly a true hero. He actually survived the war, as did the other members of the Choir, and lived until 1963, when he died at the age of 65. He was invited to appear on the TV programme This Is Your Life, but was too ill to be the main guest, but did appear briefly at the end as a guest of Sam Derry, one of the Choir members.
My Father’s House is not an easy read, for many of us it will be an emotional experience, but it is an important one. We must never forget the bravery of these people, without whom many more would have died and we might not be afforded the freedoms we have come to expect today.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. His books include Cowboys and Indians, Inishowen, Star of the Sea (American Library Association Award, Irish Post Award for Fiction, France’s Prix Millepages, Italy’s Premio Acerbi, Prix Madeleine Zepter for European novel of the year), Redemption Falls, Ghost Light (Dublin One City One Book Novel 2011) and Shadowplay (Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year, Costa Novel of the Year shortlist). His fiction has been translated into forty languages. He received the 2012 Irish PEN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Literature and in 2014 he was appointed Frank McCourt Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick.
DC Toby Marlowe has just landed his dream posting but the quiet streets of Shakespeare’s Stratford are about to suffer a reign of terror.
A name from the past has returned, intent on revenge. A series of murders go unsolved but Toby realises that the killer seems to be following the plot of Hamlet.
Can Toby and his boss, DS Fred Williams, find the killer before all the actors at the RSC are dead?
The Croaking Raven doth bellow for revenge.
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An absorbing account of a young English girl experiencing the joys and facing the
challenges of her unique pathway through adolescence, against the backdrop of an
island people intent on breaking away from their mother country and taking up an
independent role in the world.
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Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Monica Carly was born in Peterborough in 1936 and spent her early years living through the Second World War with all its dramas and privations. At the age of 12 she moved with her family to Kingston, Jamaica, the next 6 years being rich in a wide variety of sights, tastes and experiences, including surviving a devastating hurricane.
Back in England she gained a B.A. Honours degree at Bristol University and taught English and French at secondary level before raising her family. She has always loved writing and has experimented in many genres such as short stories, children’s stories and poetry. More recently she has written two novels, and at the age of 87 has produced a memoir of her life in Jamaica.
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+ Cornwall, crime fiction, dark humour, fiction, love, marriage, murder, murder mystery, mystery, relationships, review, secrets, thriller
What We Did In The Storm by Tina Baker
Everyone brings their secrets to the island…
On the beautiful and windswept island of Tresco, two worlds live side by side. The wealthy visitors come by helicopter to stay at their lavish time-share properties. The estate staff travel by boat, and work all hours to keep them happy, to keep the money flowing in. But while the blue skies and savage waves make the island seem a wild paradise, under the surface the inhabitants are concealing more than they dare reveal. The truths about their marriages, their love affairs, and what they do in the darkness while their neighbours are sleeping.
As black clouds come rolling in and a storm hits the island, truths and rumours begin to tumble out, wreaking terrible damage. In the midst of the tempest, two women are attacked and one goes missing. The secrets of this fragile community can no longer be hidden if it hopes to survive. The islanders must finally reveal what they did in the storm, no matter the cost.
From the #1 bestselling author of Call Me Mummy comes a dark and luscious thriller, perfect for readers of Harriet Tyce, Amanda Jennings and Louise Candlish.
My Review
What We Did In The Storm is typical Tina style, full of dreadful, dysfunctional characters, but we can’t help loving them (well some of them) anyway. I always thought the Scilly Isles was a quiet, peaceful place until I read this book!
And there are a lot of characters – I still don’t know who Fiona is – but I soon got to know the rest. We have Hannah the sexy barmaid, who works for Alison and Bobby in the local (and only) pub on the island of Tresco. Fifty-plus Beatrice who is a bit like Margot from The Good Life (if Margot was permanently bladdered to use Ted’s expression), her son Kit who falls in love with Hannah, but obviously Bea doesn’t think she’s good enough and Charlotte, who is Beatrice’s Instagram-obsessed, posy, pouty goddaughter and is after Kit. Beatrice approves. Of course she does.
Then we have Sam and his wife Christie, who is convinced that Sam was having it away with Hannah, Thor (real name Alec) who’s a total weirdo, his gossipy cousin nurse Kelly from St Mary’s (or is she his aunt?), husband and wife John and Mary-Ann (another weird lot) and a host of other more minor characters. Are you keeping up?
Oh and I mustn’t forget Primrose, Beatrice’s dog: ‘….some sort of chihuahua, crossed with a gremlin and possibly a feather duster…..how she (Beatrice) adores the dog. She always wanted a daughter.’
There are basically two timelines – before the storm and after the storm. The story opens with Ted the boatman seeing two women on the cliffs, who look like they are dancing or bladdered, but when he looks again, there is only one up there. So who went missing and what happened to her?
To read this with my online book club, and Tina accompanying us, was the perfect way to basically digest the story in ten ‘staves’. If I had the whole book I would have devoured it in one go. It’s clever, hilarious at times, dark and so well written – I can’t wait for the next one.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Tina Baker, the daughter of a window cleaner and fairground traveller, worked as a journalist and broadcaster for thirty years and is probably best known as a television critic for the BBC and GMTV. After so many hours watching soaps gave her a widescreen bum, she got off it and won Celebrity Fit Club. She now avoids writing-induced DVT by working as a Fitness Instructor.
Call Me Mummy was Tina’s first novel, inspired by her own unsuccessful attempts to become a mother. Despite the grief of that, she’s not stolen a child – so far. But she does rescue cats, whether they want to be rescued or not. What We Did In The Storm is her fourth novel.
This is a ‘tail’ by Olaf, the fox red Labrador therapy dog, who visits schools and hospitals in Gloucestershire.
This story (written in rhyme), describes Olaf’s classroom adventures, particularly when Christmas celebrations are at risk due to a kitchen breakdown.
Happily, Olaf and his band of merry canine friends manage to save the day and give the children a party they will never forget. The book includes activities and uses Makaton sign language symbols to make it accessible to a wide range of readers.
Target audience – children and dog lovers of any age. Olaf gives all book proceeds to the Pets As Therapy charity.
My Thoughts
Last Saturday I went with my son to take my two youngest granddaughters out for the day. While travelling on the train from Hayes to Beckenham, we started reading Team Olaf To the Rescue. As Clara is only five and Rosa is two, I had to read it aloud to them. Clara managed a few words using the pictures and Makaton symbols – words like dog, Christmas, school, play, sausages etc. She is learning phonics at school which also helped her to sound out some of the words.
We continued over lunch in Wimpy (yes there is one in Beckenham – Cheltenham branch is long gone) – and now we had a table, we could do some of the fun activities like the word search, join the dots, matching words to pictures and the ‘find your route puzzle’. No, I couldn’t do the latter either without referring to the answers. We still have to colour in the pictures – another great activity for my next visit.
Team Olaf To the Rescue is a lovely, big, shiny-covered book that children will adore. Lots of pictures, a sweet story and plenty of puzzles and colouring in. The dogs are so cute – my favourite is Elfin Meelo – probably because he’s a terrier – I’m guessing it’s a ‘he’. Clara loved Cosmic Cooper best. I think it’s the name.
Highly recommended as an educational book for children, but also one that draws attention to a very important charity.
About Pets As Therapy
PAT is a national charity that enhances the health and wellbeing of thousands of people in communities across the UK. They strive to ensure that everyone, no matter their circumstances, has access to the companionship of an animal.
Volunteers and their temperament-assessed pets visit establishments such as care homes, hospitals, hospices, schools and prisons, and bring smiles to many faces. People of all ages get the chance to chat to someone and stroke a friendly cat or dog.
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@PetsAsTherapyUK
Buy Links
Order your copy here
£8.99
